Ecological status of birds in Sunyani using their foraging habits
Paper Details
Ecological status of birds in Sunyani using their foraging habits
Abstract
Birds are important ecologically because they pollinate plants, disperse seeds, scavenge carcasses and recycle nutrients back into the earth. However, land-use changes have driven the current and are pushing future biodiversity composition to change in the tropics. The conversion of native forests to pastures, croplands, botanical gardens and other human dominated habitats are the primary drivers of biodiversity loss. In Sunyani, the current land use in terms of buildings is gradually affecting bird composition and these factors prompted a study into the checklist of birds in Sunyani Metropolis and relate them to their foraging habits in order to establish their ecological importance and status. Using Point-count method, all birds observed at a fixed location were tallied at repeated observation periods. The field work was carried out in the morning between 6:00 am to 9:00 am, for five (5) stations at regular interval of thirty (30) minutes each and five (5) minutes rest to the next station for a total distance of 5 km each. Each count day was for two other week in the months of February/March, May/June and September/October, 2017. The research was conducted in Sunyani the capital of Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana, on the University of Energy and Natural Resources campus and the residency of the Regional Administration. In all, a total of fifty (50) individual bird species were identified, represented by twenty-eight (28) families. Five (5) foraging behaviour made up of twenty five (25) insectivorous birds, eleven (11) seed eaters and eight (8) fruigivores were recorded. A test of significance between the months shows no significant differences among the monthly bird compositions, the calculated value was p˂0.15. This report is to present a data base for future bird observation in the area based on the current land use changes.
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Agyei-Ohemeng James, Adu Bright Yeboah, Asamoa Francis (2019), Ecological status of birds in Sunyani using their foraging habits; JBES, V14, N6, June, P62-69
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